National Business - The Morning Sun

Harvard graduate student Faith Chen, of Wilmette, Ill., left, places a sample of cobalt-based hybrid material in a calorimeter, a device that measures temperature changes, as Jarad Mason, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University, of Watertown, Mass., right, looks on, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in a lab on the school's campus, in Cambridge, Mass. The experiment is part of research to develop a more environmentally-friendly solid refrigerant that could be used as an alternative to existing volatile refrigerants. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Refrigeration chemicals are a nightmare for the climate. Experts say alternatives must spread fast

Exclusive subscriber content

Refrigerants are chemical fluids that have made air conditioning and refrigeration possible, but they are hundreds or even thousands of times more powerful at warming the planet than carbon dioxide, … more

ISABELLA O'MALLEY | 10/13/23

Elf Bar finds an easy way around US vape import ban: a name change

Exclusive subscriber content

Chinese disposable e-cigarettes from Elf Bar remain widely available in the U.S. more than four months after U.S. health regulators moved to ban their importation. The company behind the … more

By MATTHEW PERRONE | 10/13/23

In this photo released by Malaysia's Department of Information, Malaysia's Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim delivers his 2024 budget speech at the Parliament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. (Malaysia's Department of Information via AP)

Malaysia will cut subsidies and tax luxury goods as it unveils a 2024 budget narrowing the deficit

Exclusive subscriber content

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says subsidies will be progressively cut and new taxes launched next year as part of the 2024 federal budget. Anwar says the measures are intended to accelerate … more

10/13/23

FILE - JPMorgan Chase & Company Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon testifies at a Senate Banking Committee annual Wall Street oversight hearing, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. JPMorgan Chase’s third-quarter profit soared 35% from last year, fueled by a rapid rise in interest rates, but Dimon, issued a sobering statement about the current state of world affairs and economic instability, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

JPMorgan profit jumps 35%, but CEO says geopolitics and gov't inaction have led to 'dangerous time'

Exclusive subscriber content

JPMorgan Chase’s third-quarter profit soared 35% from last year, fueled by a rapid rise in interest rates, but the bank’s CEO, Jamie Dimon, issued a sobering statement about the current state of … more

By KEN SWEET | 10/13/23

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell delivers a speech at Peking University in Beijing, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. The European Union's top foreign policy official warned Friday that public sentiment in Europe could turn more protectionist if the region's trade deficit with China is not reduced. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

EU warns China that European public could turn more protectionist if trade deficit isn't reduced

Exclusive subscriber content

The European Union’s top foreign policy official has warned that public sentiment in Europe could turn more protectionist if the bloc's trade deficit with China is not reduced. Speaking in Beijing … more

10/13/23

This photo provided by the British Antarctic Survey in October 2023 shows an Antarctic krill (Euphausia suberba). While krill fishing is banned in U.S. waters due to concerns it could impact whales, seals and other animals that feed on the shrimp-like creatures, it’s been taking place for decades in Antarctica, where krill are most abundant. (Chris Gilbert/British Antarctic Survey)

Factory fishing in Antarctica for krill targets the cornerstone of a fragile ecosystem

Exclusive subscriber content

Fishing for krill is banned in U.S. waters due to concerns it could impact whales, seals and other animals that feed on the shrimp-like creatures. But such fishing has been taking place for decades … more

By JOSHUA GOODMAN and DAVID KEYTON | 10/13/23

FILE - Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm testifies during a House Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Washington. The White House has selected the Philadelphia area and West Virginia for two regional hubs to produce and deliver hydrogen fuel, an important part of the Biden administration's clean energy plan, according to a person familiar with the plan. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

Biden awards $7 billion for 'clean hydrogen' hubs across the country to help replace fossil fuels

Exclusive subscriber content

The Biden administration has selected clean-energy projects from Pennsylvania to California for a $7 billion program to kickstart development and production of hydrogen fuel, a key component of … more

By MATTHEW DALY and MARC LEVY | 10/13/23

Microsoft’s bid for Activision gets UK approval. It removes the last hurdle to the gaming deal

Exclusive subscriber content

Microsoft’s purchase of video game maker Activision Blizzard has won final approval from Britain’s competition watchdog. The move Friday reversed its earlier decision to block the $69 billion … more

By KELVIN CHAN | 10/13/23

Japan's Education Minister Masahito Moriyama speaks at a press conference in Tokyo Friday. Oct. 13, 2023. Japan’s government asked a court Friday to revoke the legal status of the Unification Church after an Education Ministry investigation concluded the group for decades has systematically manipulated its followers into donating money, sowing fear and harming their families. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japan's government asks a court to revoke the legal religious status of the Unification Church

Exclusive subscriber content

Japan’s government has asked a court to revoke the legal status of the Unification Church after an Education Ministry investigation concluded the group systematically manipulated its followers into … more

By MARI YAMAGUCHI | 10/12/23

FILE - A security guard stands near a large photo of late writer Julio Cortazar at an exhibit marking the 100-year anniversary of his birth at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Aug. 26, 2014. A bundle of 60-year-old pages of Cortazar´s writings was sold at auction on Thursday, October 12, 2023, by the Zorrilla de Montevideo auction house. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano, File)

Unpublished works and manuscript by legendary Argentine writer Cortázar sell for $42,120 at auction

Exclusive subscriber content

A buyer from Argentina has paid $42,120 for a manuscript of works, including seven unpublished stories, by legendary Argentine writer Julio Cortázar at an auction in the Uruguayan capital, … more

By GUILLERMO GARAT | 10/12/23

FILE — A coal truck, right, passes the coal-powered Duvha power station, near Emalahleni (formerly Witbank) east of Johannesburg, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. South African authorities say they have carried out search and seizure operations across five provinces to break up a huge coal-smuggling syndicate that cost the country more than $26 million and contributed to the breakdown of some of its state-owned power stations and an ongoing power crisis. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell/File)

South African authorities target coal-smuggling gang they say contributed to a power crisis

Exclusive subscriber content

South African authorities say they have conducted raids across five provinces to break up a coal-smuggling syndicate blamed for stealing more than $26 million in coal, degrading state-owned power … more

By GERALD IMRAY | 10/12/23

In this photo provided by the Georgia Ports Authority, Griff Lynch, President and CEO of the Georgia Ports Authority, provides an update on the Port of Savannah's progress and future trajectory to 1,200 leaders from the maritime, supply chain, business and political sectors Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, during the annual State of the Port event in Savannah, Ga. (Stephen B. Morton/Georgia Ports Authority via AP)

Georgia wants to study deepening Savannah's harbor again on heels of $973 million dredging project

Exclusive subscriber content

The chief executive over Georgia's seaports says larger cargo ships will need deeper water and a taller bridge to reach the Port of Savannah in the near future. Georgia Ports Authority President and … more

By RUSS BYNUM | 10/12/23

FILE - A sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen on May 4, 2021, in Washington. A former contractor for the Internal Revenue Service has been charged with leaking tax information to news outlets about a government official and thousands of the country’s wealthiest people. The Justice Department said in a statement Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, that 38-year-old Charles Edward Littlejohn of Washington, D.C. is accused of stealing tax return information and giving it to two different news outlets between 2018 and 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Ex-IRS contractor pleads guilty in leak of tax return information of Trump, wealthy people

Exclusive subscriber content

A former contractor for the Internal Revenue Service charged with leaking tax information to news outlets about former President Donald Trump and thousands of the country’s wealthiest people … more

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST | 10/12/23

FILE - The U.S. Social Security Administration office is seen in Mount Prospect, Ill., Oct. 12, 2022. About 71 million people including retirees, disabled people and children receive Social Security benefits. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

What to know about the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment

Exclusive subscriber content

Tens of millions of older Americans will see a modest increase in benefits in January when a new cost-of-living adjustment is added to Social Security payments. The 3.2% raise is intended to help … more

By CORA LEWIS | 10/12/23

Land-based wind turbines turn in Atlantic City, N.J. on July 20, 2023. On Oct. 2, 2023, New York based Attentive Energy said it plans to build a wind energy farm 42 miles off the coast of Seaside Heights, N.J., the farthest offshore of the seven wind projects publicly proposed for New Jersey and among the farthest offshore on the U.S. East Coast. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Orsted puts up $100M guarantee that it will build New Jersey's first offshore wind farm by 2025

Exclusive subscriber content

The Danish wind energy company Orsted has put up a $100 million guarantee that it will build New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm. But it will lose that money if the project is not operating by … more

By WAYNE PARRY | 10/12/23

The White House picks West Virginia and the Philadelphia region for hydrogen hubs, a source tells AP

Exclusive subscriber content

The White House has selected the Philadelphia area and West Virginia for two regional hubs to produce and deliver hydrogen fuel, which is an important part of the Biden administration's clean energy … more

By MARC LEVY | 10/12/23

FILE - Portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed the night before burn in East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 4, 2023. Passenger railroads nationwide will now be required to install video recorders inside their locomotives, but the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said the new rule is flawed because it excludes freight trains like the one that derailed and caught fire in East Palestine earlier this year. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

NTSB chair says new locomotive camera rule is flawed because it excludes freight railroads

Exclusive subscriber content

Passenger railroads nationwide will now be required to install video recorders inside their locomotives. But the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday the new rule is flawed … more

By JOSH FUNK | 10/12/23

Caroline Ellison former CEO of Alameda Research founded by Sam Bankman-Fried exits the Manhattan federal court after testifying on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyer struggles in cross-examination of Caroline Ellison, govt's key witness

Exclusive subscriber content

Sam Bankman-Fried’s defense lawyer has struggled through a meandering cross-examination of the FTX founder’s former girlfriend Thursday, keeping both the judge and the public guessing as to his … more

By KEN SWEET and LARRY NEUMEISTER | 10/12/23

The average long-term US mortgage rate surges to 7.57%, holding at highest level since 2000

Exclusive subscriber content

Home loan borrowing costs rose for the fifth straight week, keeping the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate at its highest level in more than two decades and taking another bite out of prospective … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 10/12/23

A member of the security forces stands guard outside a convention center hosting the IMF and World Bank annual meetings, in Marrakech, Morocco, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank kicked off their annual meeting in Marrakech on Monday, one month after a deadly earthquake struck Morocco and killed nearly 3,000 people. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

IMF sees economic growth in the Mideast improving next year. But the Israel-Hamas war poses risks

Exclusive subscriber content

The International Monetary Fund says Middle East economies are gradually recovering as external shocks from the war in Ukraine and global inflation fade. But the escalating war between Israel and the … more

10/12/23